Many different types of materials and structures have been used for retaining walls, load-bearing walls, support columns, and erosion protection. Some of the earliest materials are wood and rocks. For example, walls of logs or wooden planks have been used to confine and retain the movement of soil in wells, mines, road embankments, and shorelines. Likewise, rocks and stones can be used for similar purposes as well as for building foundations, cellar walls, and riprap, and also to control shoreline and soil erosion. More recently, materials such as bricks, concrete, plastics, and steel have been used for such purposes.
Preferred materials and structures have several desirable properties: they should be relatively strong, stable, and resistant to deterioration. They should be inexpensive, and they should be relatively easy and quick to erect and install. The present invention relates to a support structure and a method of installing the structure that makes use of virtually all of the foregoing desirable qualities.